steering gear exploded?
 

Can any of you evaluate the damage or problem with this steering gear? Is it repairable with a rebuild kit? 1988 Toy SR5 pickup 22re. Less than 100 miles since remanned gear installed. It failed entirely last night as I was backing into my driveway; all the P/S fluid drained onto my driveway and nearby street.

When I installed it last week, there was a gap above the Pitman arm, about 3/8 inch.

No warantee on the remanned part??

I would'nt even open it up. No telling what shortcuts were taken in the rebuild, or what parts they left out. It's junk.

If the seller won't make it good, I'd look for a junkyard replacement, it could'nt be worse.

What fluid are you using? The P/S system uses ATF as the fluid. ATF is red. If you used P/S fluid which is usually closer to clear/golden it could have caused the seals to degrade and fail. At that point it's on you.

:good:

Highly unlikely power steering fluid would cause that and especially in 100 miles.
Because I didn't know any better, I ran power steering fluid in my truck after I did the power steering conversion at first for months and way more miles and never had a leak.
Probably just a crappy rebuild job that used crappy rebuild parts.

Lets see some more pictures .

Did the case itself break or did it just start leaking ??

I removed the gear yesterday. A snap ring, a washer, and a seal were on the Pitman arm. I can't imagine how the snap ring escaped from the housing. Warranty is good, but O'Reilly has to have one shipped from out of town. It appears to me that the snap ring and seals are installed before the vertical shaft is inserted. Mysterious.

I inquired about proper fluid. The clerks said regular p/s fluid is fine.

thanks

Did the clerk look it up for you in your owner's manual? The owner's manual says ATF. A lot of parts store guys are pretty knowledgeable, but some are totally clueless.

Take whats those parts guys say with a big grain of salt. Most are hired off the street with little to no automotive knowledge.
Look on the reservoir cap. It says to use ATF. The steering will be smoother and less notchy with ATF. At least mine was.

It uses Dextron fluid. Anytime I see a question on here and they say the power steering fluid is foaming, I ask if they are using Power Steering Fluid or ATF fluid. The answer has always been normal Power Steering Fluid when foaming.

It will say in your manual or on the tank to use Dextron 2 or 3. There is now a Dextron 5 or 6 if I recall right. Do not use it, it is for Dodge or Chevy and is not to be used as power steering fluid.

Terry is right: the owner's manual says Dextron. The steering hasn't been spotty with generic p/s fluid, except when the fluid is low.

The next remanned gear is due in town today or tomorrow.

There's no reason to not use Dexron VI. Other than price. It's fully backwards compatible with, and is better in every way than, Dexron III. I've been using it as power steering fluid in my trucks for many years without issues.